Plug cutter with radial relief and plug ejecting portion

A plug cutter, rotatable about an axis of rotation, comprising:

• a main body having a longitudinal axis coinciding with the axis of rotation, the main body defining a bore extending axially therein;
• a shank extending axially from one end of the main body along the axis of rotation;
• a plurality of cutting blades extending axially from an opposite end of the main body and terminating in a distal end, the plurality of blades being adapted to cut a plug from a piece of stock as the plug cutter is rotated about the axis of rotation and advanced axially into the piece of stock, each of the blades having leading and trailing edges, each of the blades also having an inner surface and a radially relieved portion facing the bore, wherein the radially relieved portion begins at a relief start position and ends at a relief end position, each blade being shaped so that, at a given axial position along each blade, a radial distance from the axis of rotation is smallest along the inner surface and largest along the radially relieved portion, so that, as the plug cutter cuts the plug, substantially only the inner surface of each blade contacts with an outer surface of the plug;
• and
• a plug ejecting portion extending through the main body to permit removal of the plug from the plug cutter.